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Java Intro
Java Intro
Java is a powerful objectoriented programming language introduced by Sun Microsystems in 1995,
which has builtin support to create programs with a graphical user interface (GUI), utilize the
Internet, create clientserver solutions, and much more. Programs written in Java can run, without
change, on any of the common computer operating systems Windows 95/NT, Macintosh, and Unix. A
variant of Java programs called applets can be embedded inside a web page and execute on the
computer that is viewing the page, automatically and in a secure environment.
As a language, Java is closely related to C++, which is also objectoriented but retains a lot of
idiosyncrasies inherited from its predecessor language C. Java has removed the inconsistent
elements from C++, is exclusively objectoriented, and can be considered a modern version of C++. 1
Because of its logical structure Java has quickly become a popular choice as a teaching language, 2
and because of its extensive Internet support and the promise of writing programs once and using
them on every operating system Java is becoming more and more accepted in industry.
Java is case sensitive, i.e. the word Program is different from program.
Curly brackets { and } are used to group statements together.
An executable Java program must contain at least the following lines as a framework:
Every statement whose next statement is not a separate group must end in a semicolon.
A Java program containing the above framework must be saved using the filename
Name.java, where Name (including correct upper and lower cases) is the word that follows
the keywords public class and the file extension is .java.
p u b lic c la s s N a m e
public static void main(String args[])
program code
In other words, to create a Java program you first create a text file containing the lines
1
Java does have disadvantages. For example, programs written in Java are generally slower than those in C++ and it
is difficult to accomplish system-level tasks in Java.
2
Java compilers and tools are available for free, an important consideration for academic and student budgets.
{
... more lines ...
}
}
The file containing our code is called the source code file.
Source Code
A Java source code file is a text file that contains programming code written according to the
Java language specifications, resembling a mixture of mathematical language and English. A
computer cannot execute source code, but humans can read and understand it.
Java source code files should be saved as Name.java, where Name is the name that appears in the
first line of the program: public class Name. That Name is referred to as the name of the class,
or program. By convention its first letter is capitalized.
p u b lic c la s s N a m e
public static void main(String args[])
save as
program code
Here is an example of a Java source code file. We will later explain what the various lines mean; for
now it is simply a text file that looks as shown.
Example: The first source code file
Create a source code file containing the necessary Java code to get the computer to write "Hi – this
is my first program" on the screen.
Our first Java program looks as follows:
This program, or class, is called Test and must be saved under the file name Test.java.
A source code file, which is more or less readable in plain English, needs to be transformed into
another format before the computer can act upon it. That translation process is called compiling and
is accomplished using the Java compiler javac from the Java Developer's Kit (JDK), which could be
invoked by an IDE such as BlueJ.
Compiling
Compiling is the process of transforming the source code file into a format that the computer can
understand and process. The resulting file is called the byte-code, or class, file. The name of the
class file is the same as the name of the program plus the extension .class. The program javac
from the Java Developer's Kit is used to transform a source code file into a class file.
p u b lic c la s s N a m e
public static void main(String args[])
save as ja v a c
pr ogram code
If a source code contains any errors, they are flagged by the compiler. You need to fix them and re
compile until there are no further errors.
If the compiler points out an error, then there is an error at or before the indicated position.
If the compiler reports a certain number of errors, than this is the least amount of errors.
If one error is fixed, other errors may automatically disappear or new ones may appear.
Fix your source code a few errors at a time. Recompile often to see if the number of errors and
the error messages change until no errors are reported. If you can not find an error at the
position indicated by the compiler, look at the code before that position.
The Java compiler does not produce an executable file, so Java programs can not execute under the
operating system of your machine. Instead they execute inside a Java Virtual Machine, which is
invoked using the java program of the JDK.
Most IDE’s allow for a convenient way to execute a file. In BlueJ you rightclick on a compiled class
and select the “main” method.
p u b lic c la s s N a m e
public static void main(String args[])
save as ja v a c ja v a
pr og ram code
A good question at this point is which line in a Java program executes first.
If that line is not present in your source code, the JVM can not execute your program and
displays an error message.
At this point, we need to explain what the Java Virtual Machine is and how it relates to the
operating system and to Java class files.
When invoked with a particular class file, the JVM loads the file, goes through a verification
process to ensure system security, and executes the instructions in that class file.
The JVM, in other words, forms a layer between the operating system and the Java program that is
trying to execute. That explains how one Java program can run without change on a variety of
systems: it can not! A Java program runs on only one system, namely the Java Virtual Machine.
That virtual system, in turn, runs on a variety of operating systems and is programmed quite
3
In general, the Java Virtual Machine is an abstractly specified class file interpreter that can be realized by different
software makers. The JVM that comes with the JDK was created by SUN Microsystems, but any other JVM is also
able to run the same class files. Different JVM's can vary in efficiency, but they all must run the same class files.
differently for various systems. To the Java programmer, it provides a unified interface to the actual
system calls of the operating system.4
You can include graphics, graphical user interface elements, multimedia, and networking operations
in a Java program and the JVM will negotiate the necessary details between the class file(s) and the
underlying operating system. The JVM produces exactly the same results – in theory – regardless of
the underlying operating system. In the Basic (or C, or C++) programming language, for example,
you can create code that specifies to multiply two integers 1000 and 2000 and store the result as
another integer. That code works fine on some systems, but can produce negative numbers on
others.5 In Java, this can not happen: either the code fails on all platforms, or it works on all
platforms.
Java S ource
C ode
U n ix W in M ac
ja v a c ja v a c ja v a c
U n ix W in M ac
J a v a B y te J a v a V ir tu a l
C ode M a c h in e
O p e r a tin g -s y s te m U n ix W in M ac
d e p e n d e n t to o ls
ja v a ja v a ja v a
O p e r a tin g -s y s te m
in d e p e n d e n t
Figure 1.09: Illustrating the machine dependent/independent parts of Java programs
Because the JVM is in effect its own computer, it can shield the actual computer it is running on
from potentially harmful effects of a Java program. This is especially important because Java
programs known as applets can automatically start executing on your machine when you are surfing
the web if the appropriate feature of your web browser is enabled. If these programs were allowed to
meddle with your system, you could accidentally execute a program that would proceed to erase your
entire disk. That, of course, would prompt people to disable Java on their web browser, which in turn
would be bad news for anyone who supports the Java concept.
4
This is somewhat similar to old Basic programs: a simple Basic program can run on virtually any system that has a
Basic interpreter installed since the interpreter mediates between the program trying to run and the operating system.
5
Programming languages have a largest possible integer whose value can differ on different systems. A C++
program executing on a machine with a largest integer bigger than 2,000,000 produces the correct result, but on a
system where the largest integer is, say, 32,767 it fails. The JVM has the same largest integer on every platform.
int, long, or short to represent integer numbers
double or float to represent decimal numbers
char to represent character values
boolean to represent logical values
void to represent "no type"
Each numeric type has a largest and smallest possible value, as indicated in table 1.10. 6
Most programs use int for integers and double for decimal numbers, while long, short, and float
are needed only in special situations.
Type Range
double largest positive/negative value: ±1.7976931348623157E308
smallest nonzero value: ±4.9E324
significant digits: 16 digits after decimal point
float largest positive/negative value: ±3.4028235E38
smallest nonzero value: ±1.4E45
significant digits: 8 digits after decimal point
int largest value 2147483647
smallest value: 2147483648
short largest value 32767
smallest value: 32768
long largest value 9223372036854775807
smallest value: 9223372036854775808
Table: Ranges for valid decimal types
Each type can contain values called literals or unnamed constants in a particular format.
Literals
Literals are constant values for the basic data types. Java supports the following literals:
int, short: digits only, with possible leading plus (+) or minus (-) sign
long: like int literals, but must end with an "L"
double: digits including possible periodic point or leading plus ( +) or minus (-) sign,
or numbers in scientific notation #.###############E±###,7 where each #
represents a digit
float: like double literals, but must end with an "F"
char: Single Unicode characters enclosed in single quotes, including the special
control sequences described in table 1.11 8
boolean: true or false
In addition, Java has an object literal called null for object references.
6
Java also supports a basic type byte, which we do not need currently, and another very useful type String,
introduced later
7
For example, the double number 1.23456E002 = 1.234562 = 123.456
8
Unicode characters support characters in multiple languages and are defined according to their "Unicode Attribute
table" (see http://www.unicode.org/). Every character on a standard US keyboard is a valid Unicode character.
Character literals include the following special characters called control sequences:
To use the basic data types to store information, we must define variables that have one of these
types:
Declaration of Variables
To declare a variable that can store data of a specific type, the syntax:
is used, where type is one of the basic data types, varName is the name of the variable, and
varName2, ..., varNameN are optional additional variables of that type. Variables can be
declared virtually anywhere in a Java program.
Variables must have a name and there are a few rules to follow when choosing variable names:
Java Reserved Keywords
Abstract boolean break byte case catch
Char Class const continue default do
Double Else extends false final finally
Float For goto if implements import
instanceof Int interface long native new
null Package private protected public return
short Static super switch synchronized this
throw Throws transient true try void
volatile While
Table 1.12: Reserved keywords in Java
Example: Declaring variables
Declare one variable each of type int, double, char, and two variables of type boolean.
This is an easy example. We declare our variables as follows:
int anInteger;
double aDouble;
char aChar;
boolean aBoolean, anotherBoolean;
Assignments are made by first evaluating the expression on right, then assigning the resulting
value to the variable on the left. Numeric values of a type with smaller range are compatible with
numeric variables of a type with larger range (compare table 13). Variables can be declared and
assigned a value in one expression using the syntax:
The assignment operator looks like the mathematical equal sign, but it is different. For example, as
a mathematical expression
x 2x 1
is an equation which can be solved for x. As Java code, the same expression
x = 2*x + 1;
Value and variable types must be compatible with each other, as shown in table 1.13.
Value Type Compatible Variable Type
double double
int int, double
char char, int, double
boolean boolean
Table 1.13: Value types compatible to variable types
Example: Declaring variables and assigning values
Declare an int, three double, one char, and one boolean variable. Assign to them some suitable
values.
There are two possible solutions. Variables can be declared first and a value can be assigned to them
at a later time:
int anInteger;
double number1, number2, number3;
anInteger = 10;
number1 = number2 = 20.0;
number3 = 30;
char cc;
cc = 'B';
boolean okay;
okay = true;
Alternatively, variables can be declared and initialized in one statement:
Software Engineering Tip: Variables serve a purpose and the name of a variable should
reflect that purpose to improve the readability of your program. Avoid oneletter variable
names9. Do not reuse a variable whose name does not reflect its purpose.
Whenever possible, assign an initial value to every variable at the time it is declared. If a
variable is declared without assigning a value to it, all basic types except boolean are
automatically set to 0, boolean is set to false, and all other types are set to null.10
Declare variables as close as possible to the code where they are used. Do not declare all
variables at once at the beginning of a program (or anywhere else).
Example: Using appropriate variable names
The code segment below computes the perimeter of a rectangle and the area of a triangle. Rewrite that
segment using more appropriate variable names and compare the readability of both segments:
double x, y, z;
x = 10.0;
y = 20.0;
z = 2*(x + y);
w = 0.5 * x * y;
9
If a variable serves a minor role in a code segment (such as a counter in a loop) it can be declared using a one-letter
variable name.
10
The compiler may display an error message if it encounters variables that are not explicitly initialized.
It is immediately clear that the formulas used are correct. Choosing appropriate variable names
clarifies the code significantly and makes it easy to locate potential problems.
n
Each operator has a left and right argument and the type of the result of the computation is
determined according to the rules outlined in the table below
Example: A Temperature Conversion Program
Create a complete program that converts a temperature from degrees Fahrenheit in degrees Celsius.
Use comments to explain your code.